The Capital Area Education Association is pleased to announce that the 2015-2016 scholarship recipient is Caitlyn Padgett, a senior from Carlisle High School. Caitlyn will receive a $500 scholarship to Seton Hill University. While at Seton Hill University, she will pursue a career in special education and elementary education.

The CAIU and Lincoln IU 12 invite you to our spring refugee workshop, “Taking Steps to Improve Schooling for Refugee Students: Collaboration Between School & Community Agencies,” on Wednesday, May 4, at CAIU’s Enola campus.

Paid for by Title III Federal Funding, this event hosts three dynamic specialists who will create an interactive session to offer boots-on-the-ground tips for serving the refugee population. Participants in this interactive workshop will create an action plan to provide support and quality educational programming for refugee students and their families.

This is a full-day event and lunch is included. Register online using the 48 CARATS program at http://48carats.caiu.org.
Event: “Taking Steps to Improve Schooling for Refugee Students: Collaboration Between School & Community Agencies”
Date: May 4, 2016
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Contact: Lori Rogers at lrogers@caiu.org

Presenters
Church World Services
The Refugee Center and Community School
Debbie Falk, ESL advocate and director of refugee services, Upper Darby School District

The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) are a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of early literacy skills from kindergarten through sixth grade. DIBELS Next Mentors can train others on the DIBELS Next Essential, Transition, and Data Interpretation workshops. CAIU is hosting a two-day workshop designed for teachers, reading specialists, educational consultants, interventionists, administrators, school psychologists, and reading teachers interested in becoming mentors.

Day one will include the DIBELS Next Data Interpretation Workshop and offer advanced training to participants in the use of an outcomes-driven model. Topics will include using data to match students to resources, group students for instruction, select materials for progress monitoring, and evaluate the effectiveness of instruction.

Day two will include the DIBELS Next Mentoring Workshop which will support participants to deliver training on DIBELS Next administration and scoring. After completion of this two-day workshop, participants will receive DIBELS Next Mentor certification status and receive presentation materials necessary for training and providing leadership feedback to other DIBELS assessors.

Requirements/prerequisite: Participants must have previously attended DIBELS Next Essentials training and should bring their DIBELS Next Essentials book. Both days of attendance are required to receive DIBELS Next Mentor certification. Participants should also bring a stopwatch/timer to the workshop.

Board Highlights and Cindy's monthly Executive Director's Report from this month's Board meeting are now available on the CAIU website. Board Agendas can be found on this site as well.
February's Meeting Minutes are also now available.

CAIU's next Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 28, 2016, at 8:00am in the Board Room of the Enola Office.

Champions for Children (C4C) Bingo is back and better than ever! What started 17 years ago as basket bingo with Longaberger baskets, has expanded to include Longaberger baskets, Thirty One and Vera Bradley bags and accessories, themed gift baskets, and gift cards to a variety of businesses. Plus, C4C Bingo features raffles, door prizes, and special games throughout the evening.

This year's event will be held April 1, at the CAIU Enola Conference Center. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. with Bingo starting at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $25 for 20 games, and additional cards will be available for purchase at the door. Beef barbecue, walking tacos, hot dogs and sausages, desserts and drinks will be available when the doors open and throughout the night. C4C Bingo is an adults-only event.

All proceeds go to Champions for Children, a program that offers assistance to children in need within the Capital Area Intermediate Unit's service area. Since 2000, Champions for Children Bingo has helped to raise over $40,000. For more information, visit Champions for Children.

Do you know an educator who has a passion for education and demonstrates outstanding leadership within the field and the community? Help the CAIU find this year's Thomas W. Holtzman, Jr. Educational Leadership Award winner!

Nominees should be • A Lifelong Learner
• Creative and Innovative
• Student-Centered
• A Community Leader

And should
• Build Camaraderie
• Celebrate Diversity and Unity
• Exceed Professional Requirements
• Earn the Respect of Students, Parents and Colleagues

Nominees must be a public educator, hold PA Level II Certification, and be employed by a school entity within the CAIU service area.

How do I nominate an educator?This year, the CAIU is featuring a new, streamlined nomination process. Nominations consist of a nomination form and questionnaire prepared by the nominator and one letter of recommendation written by someone other than the nominator. Please see nomination form for further details. To nominate an educator, download and complete the form and questionnaire below and submit with one letter of recommendation to commcontractor@caiu.org.

About Dr. Holtzman
Dr. Thomas W. Holtzman, Jr. served the Susquehanna Township School District for 18 years as principal and superintendent. The Thomas W. Holtzman, Jr. Educational Leadership Award is established to honor an individual who exemplifies his outstanding qualities as a leader in public education in the Capital Region. His passion for learning, positive outlook, sense of humor, and celebration of diversity inspired all who knew him to strive for educational excellence.

Many people outside of education don’t think of art as a vital part of an academic curriculum, but it is an important addition for a well-rounded education. Through art, students explore subjects through a different lens and experiment with various mediums, techniques and colors to create, all while boosting skills relevant to academics and everyday life – from math and reading to problem solving, teamwork, concentration, and motivation.

“For Hill Top students, and other students as well, art gives them the chance to take a break from the typical academic structure and established expectations, “said Tanya Haller, art teacher at Hill Top Academy. “Most of our students’ academic and behavioral expectations have only one correct answer or response; with art, that pressure is removed and the students can just create.”

This year, art students at Hill Top Academy used art to solve a structural problem. A large window in a classroom overlooked the playground, which was a distraction to both students and teachers. To solve the problem, cabinets were placed in front of the window. This created another problem, the view into the window from the playground was now the back of cabinets.

The staff and students decided to paint the window in the classroom theme, superheroes. Jayden, pictured below in his Ant Man mask, helped the staff draw the superheroes, and students spent weeks painting the window and adding inspirational messages about friendship.

Another student, before transitioning back to her home district, completed a crayon art project that uses a technique of melting crayons over a canvas to create color and texture. The resulting piece captures a multitude of emotions, yet is overwhelmingly positive. She finished the painting the day before she left Hill Top Academy.

About Hill Top Academy:
There are 20 classes at Hill Top Academy. They represent several programs providing services to students in emotional support, Capital Area Peak Potential, multiple disabilities support, autistic support and the diagnostic classroom. Students come from school districts throughout Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry and Northern York counties.

Board Highlights and Cindy's monthly Executive Director's Report from this month's Board meeting are now available on the CAIU website. Board Agendas can be found on this site as well.
January's Meeting Minutes are also now available.

CAIU's next Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 17, 2016, at 8:00am in the Board Room of the Enola Office.

January is School Board Appreciation Month.
The CAIU thanks all of its Board members for their time and dedication.

We were able to dig out from the record snowstorm in time to have our January 28, 2016, Board meeting!

Board Highlights and Cindy's monthly Executive Director's Report from this month's Board meeting are now available on the CAIU website. Board Agendas can be found on this site as well.
December's Meeting Minutes are also now available.

CAIU's next Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 25, 2016, at 8:00am in the Board Room of the Enola Office.